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Temperature modified oral cleaning device

Temperature modified oral cleaning device description/claims

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/884,620, entitled “Rapid Heating Oral Cleaning Device”, filed Jan. 12, 2007, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.

The present disclosure is based on the general understanding that heat may enhance a cleaning process. That understanding derives from the effects of heat on either chemical or physical processes, or both. Here, the principle of enhancement of the cleaning process by heat is applied to an oral care cleaning process.

It is known that conducting a chemical reaction at a higher temperature may generally involve the delivery of more energy into the system which may increase the reaction rate by causing more collisions between particles, as explained by collision theory. Additionally, heat and/or energy may increase the rate of reaction for the reason that more of the colliding particles will have the necessary, increased activation energy to result in more successful collisions, particularly when the success of a collision is measured in the resultant bonds formed between reactants.

The influence of temperature on reactions may be described by the Arrhenius equation. At higher temperatures, the probability that two molecules will collide is higher; this higher collision rate results in a higher kinetic energy, which has an effect on the activation energy of the reaction; the activation energy is the amount of energy required to ensure that a reaction happens.

The Arrhenius equation is expressed as: k=A*exp(−Ea/R*T); where k is the rate coefficient, A is a constant, Ea is the activation energy, R is the universal gas constant, and T is the temperature (in degrees Kelvin); and R has the value of 8.314×10-3 kJ mol-1K-1. As a rough rule of thumb, reaction rates for many reactions double or triple for every 10 degrees Celsius increase in temperature.

Rapid heating is a generally known concept available in a variety of forms. These may include implementations such as those available from the ColdHeat Company of Washington, USA, or from Hyperion Innovations, Inc., Bellevue, Wash., USA, inter alia. An implementation hereof may include a resistance heating, as where one or more elements of a high resistance material may be disposed in or be connected to an electrical circuit, the high resistance creating a great deal of heat quickly when exposed to the flow of electricity. The ColdHeat company uses graphite, a composition containing graphite, germanium or silicon or an athalite composition. Typically and particularly, this composition includes a high carbon content, and thus has a high resistance, although it is electrically conductive, or semi-conductive and thus may be disposed in an electrical circuit. The graphite or athalite (or other) element may heat up quickly when disposed in a live circuit, and conversely may cools quickly when current flow is halted. Induction heating, which involves electromagnetically inducing a current in a conductive receiver without contact, may also be used, together or in the alternative.

The present improvements include heated oral care devices, such as toothbrushes, tooth polishers and/or tooth whitening trays. A rapid heating oral care device is described as well, as are such devices which may provide rapid cooling. A heating element using graphite, a composition containing graphite, germanium or silicon or an athalite composition is also described.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 provides an isometric view of a heated toothbrush according hereto;

FIG. 2 provides an isometric view of a heated toothbrush according hereto; and,

FIG. 3 provides an isometric view of a heated toothbrush according hereto.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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